


The Shayna Maidel and The Yiddisher Kop

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Engagement, F/M, Fiddler On The Roof - Freeform, Matchmaking, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-27 04:04:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13872732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)





	The Shayna Maidel and The Yiddisher Kop

“Papa, what do you think he’ll be like?” She asked, pinning her hair up with the decorative black velvet pin that her father had managed to procure from the market. He wanted his only daughter to be taken care of whenever he happened to pass on, so she needed to make the best impression. Paired with her deep purple dress that was only worn on special occasions, she was sure to make a good impression on the matchmaker.

Once dressed, she turned to her father nervously. “You look beautiful,” he said as he pushed a lock of her hair out of her face. “Hopefully, he’ll be a scholar. You were always smarter than the rest of us. You deserve to have a husband who can talk to you about important things.”

Her mother rounded the corner and gave her father a wink. “We have to make sure he’s rich too.” Though Mama would’ve married Papa over and over again despite the fact that Papa came from nothing, she wanted more for her only surviving child. Money brought a carefreeness to life that they had never been able to experience. “What do you hope comes of your match, Y/N?”

“I hope he’s handsome,” she said blushing furiously.

There was actually someone she had her eye on. Someone she hoped would be her match, but that’s not the way things worked around her. Just because she wanted Spencer Reid to be her match didn’t make it so.

As the hustle and bustle of the families going to the morning market continued outside, Y/N grabbed the sides of her dress and spun around, feeling very much like the princess she wasn’t. “You have someone in mind, don’t you child?”

“Yes, Mama.”

“He’s not rich though.”

She walked up to her mother and held her face in her hands. “True. But he isn’t poor either. Even if he was it wouldn’t matter to me. We’ve done okay for ourselves. I’ve had a happy childhood.”

For the most part at least. She’d lost her sister and two brothers to disease, but her parents did the best they could to provide for them and keep them fed - and they were never without love, so she was luckier than most.

After a quick bite to eat, Y/N made her way to the matchmaker with a basket and a few coins in tow to grab some food from the market on the way back. “Wish me luck, Mama! Wish me luck, Papa!”

“Good luck!” They called back simultaneously. 

Making her way through the town, Y/N found herself drifting off into dreams of who her husband might be. Thankfully, she had the backing of her parents; if she truly loathed the man she was matched with, then she didn’t have to marry him. They would continue to struggle, but they wanted her happiness above all else.

Matchmaker, matchmaker,  
Make me a match,  
Find me a find,  
Catch me a catch  
Matchmaker, matchmaker  
Look through your book,  
And make me a perfect match

She was aware of all the potential marriages in town. One man was nearly 65 years old; she prayed he wasn’t her match. There were also the drunkards - the ones she refused to marry with full backing from her parents. The town also boasted the rabbi’s son, the bread maker’s two sons, and a few other fairly eligible men. None of them held a candle to Spencer though. He was a few years older than she, but he was kind and sweet and intelligent and he had the prettiest smile and eyes. “Yenta! It’s Y/N Y/L/N!”

“Come in, child!” 

Everyone called her yenta, but the better word was shadkhen. A former noblewoman, she moved to town after her husband’s death and then served as the area’s matchmaker. She was a hard woman to impress, but if she liked you, a match was much more likely to be in your favor. “I’ve been looking in my book for you, but I want to know what you hope to obtain from this match I make for you, shayna maidel?”

It was risky to tell yenta what you hoped for, because if she didn’t like you, she could use it against you, but in Y/N’s case, she was fairly sure that yenta had a soft spot for her. “I do hope that he’s handsome, but that’s not the most important thing.”

“What is, child?”

“He should have a thirst for knowledge and a gentle hand.”

“You were always the smartest woman in town. Like me,” she smiled, pinching her cheeks.

For a few moments, yenta went about her business, leaving Y/N to contemplate the future in uncertainty. “Do you have anyone in mind for me?”

“I do,” she replied, her smirk leaving Y/N confused. “The bread maker’s eldest, Ancel, is an option. Very sweet boy and the talk of the town.”

He wasn’t very smart, but that wasn’t the worst thing. Y/N could absolutely do worse than either of the bread maker’s boys. 

“I’m also thinking of about one of the local farmer’s boys, Josef, and the other option is the lonesome boy on the outskirts of town who takes care of his mother, Spencer, very smart, quite a handsome boy, but quite picky too.”

“How so?” Y/N asked. 

Maybe he wouldn’t like her.

“He is very stubborn that anyone who does not accept his mother does not truly accept him, and he has already turned down a few matches, namely Goldie and Minah,” she said.

No wonder he’d rejected them; they were shallow shmendriks - not stupid in the bookish sense, that was no fault of anyone other than the world in which they lived, but in heart; they felt nothing for others. Spencer deserved more than that. Frankly, her other possible matches didn’t deserve to be stuck with Goldie or Minah either.

“Well, if you match me with Spencer, may your third match be the trick,” Y/N said casually, trying to hide the blush in her cheeks and failing. 

Yenta sing-songed, “Oh, so shayna punim likes the shy boy from the outskirts? I’ll be thinking things over, but I’ll be by your home later tonight to give you my match, child. Okay?”

“Yes, Yenta. May I ask a favor?”

“You may ask of course,” she said sarcastically.

Closing the door to the marketplace once more before she left, Y/N spoke softly. “My friend, Toiba. I know she doesn’t come from much, but she is a sweet girl who deserves to be happy. Can you make sure she has a good match?”

“I will, child. Toiba is a simple girl, but she is kind, caring and attentive. I will take care of her too.”

“Thank you, Yenta.”

Oh, matchmaker, matchmaker,  
I’ll bring the veil,  
You bring the groom,  
Slender and pale.  
Bring me a ring for I’m longing to be,  
The envy of all I see.

The entire day passed slower than the pouring of molasses, but soon yenta would show up with Y/N’s match in tow. “Yenta is here!” Papa called.

Her heart started to pound frantically. “I’m so nervous, Mama.”

“He will be a good boy. I can feel it.”

As Papa opened the door, Y/N thought about all the possibilities that lie before her with each of her possible matches. If Yenta was telling the truth, then she knew she would be respected and taken care of, but her heart definitely wanted one man in particular. 

“Hello,” Spencer said with his hat in his hand. “Mr. and Mrs. Y/L/N, it’s nice to meet you.”

Her parents ushered her forward, though she nearly tripped over her dress in the process. “Hello, sir.”

“Spencer, please.”

She met his gaze and saw the smile in his eyes. “I hope to be a suitable match for you, Spencer.”

“Of course he will be!” Yenta exclaimed. “When I mentioned you as a possible match his ears perked up.” The ears in question were turning red, his face hot with embarrassment also. “Finally, this stubborn child has accepted a match from me. Third time is the charm.”

Spencer spoke respectfully. “I’m not stubborn. I just didn’t want to marry someone who couldn’t love the whole of me and not just bits and pieces.” He reached out and grabbed Y/N’s hand, pressing a kiss to the top of her palm. “I know everyone in this town. This is the only match I would ever accept.”

Y/N’s heart felt light. “Thank you, Spencer. Would you like to come in?”

“I would love to.”

With Yenta smugly walking away, Y/N new that Toiba would be taken care of as well. She always thought that Toiba would be well-matched with the bread maker’s boy. 

Spencer sat down across the table from Y/N. “How do you want to live life, Y/N?” He asked softly. 

“I would like to see the world, though I know it’s likely that I won’t. I also want to learn to read and write better than I do. And I’d also like to live a happy life with a couple of children to speak of.”

With her parents making something to eat in the background, Spencer smiled. “I could teach you to read better. I have a whole room with books I’ve collected.”

That sounded like heaven. 

“I may not be able to take you all over the world, but I might be able to do the next best thing through books.”

Y/N smiled. “I would love that.”

All of a sudden, Y/N’s parents popped back into the room. “So when is my shayna punim getting married?” Mama asked.

“Mama! He’s barely walked in the door!”

Spencer watched on as Y/N went back and forth with her parents. It was much like him and his mother. This was a perfect match.


End file.
